Big record falls, Larionov signs an old friend
One of the biggest KHL scoring records changed hands last week, with another of Sergei Mozyakin’s landmarks firmly in sight. On the transfer market, Torpedo made a seemingly surprising addition, while Spartak finally agreed terms with a key import. And the Women’s Hockey League got underway with last year’s champion, Agidel, losing the season opener to runner-up Dynamo Neva.
Shipachyov beats Mozyakin’s record
Times are changing. For some years, Sergei Mozyakin’s scoring records have dominated KHL history. Now, though, they are under threat. Ak Bars forward Vadim Shipachyov picked up his 757th point in regular season play when he got an assist in Saturday’s win over Torpedo. That moves him ahead of Mozyakin’s regular season tally of 756. Including playoff games, Mozyakin is still ahead on 928 (419+509) points. However, that target is in Shipachyov’s sights: he is currently 46 points adrift.
First win for Barys, first loss for Torpedo
That Ak Bars win over Torpedo ended the last unbeaten start in the season. Igor Larionov’s team won it first five games – and led 2-0 in Kazan – before falling to a 3-4 loss. Despite that, Torpedo remains at the top of the Western Conference standings. While Torpedo was losing its 100%, Barys had something to celebrate. The Kazakhs won their first game of the season, edging Admiral 4-3 in a stormy encounter in Astana.
First win for Barys, first loss for Torpedo. September 16 round-up
SKA stutters
Another notable streak this season has SKA on five straight losses. After winning the first two games of the season, Roman Rotenberg’s team was beaten by Torpedo, Lokomotiv, Spartak, Dynamo and Sibir. The last of those snapped its own three-game losing streak while prolonging SKA’s problems. This sequence is the club’s worst since November 2021 when SKA lost six in a row either side of an international break.
Sibir snaps losing streak, SKA loses fifth straight. September 17 round-up
Youngest Torpedo scorer
This season saw the first KHL player born in 2006. Torpedo’s defenseman Anton Silayev was the young man in question, making his debut this term. At the weekend, he became the youngest Torpedo player to score in the KHL, finding the net against Ak Bars at the age of 17 years, 158 days.
Michkov back to Sochi
Matvei Michkov, one of Russia’s brightest prospects, found himself out of the SKA team at the start of the season. For the teenager, the highest-rated Russian forward in this year’s NHL draft, it was an uncomfortable situation: like any young player, Michkov needs game time to develop his game. However, a solution was at hand: HC Sochi took the player on loan, repeating a deal from last season. In 2022-2023, Michkov was a stand-out player on a struggling Sochi team: he had 20 (9+11) points in 29 games. On his return to the Black Sea, Matvei had a couple of assists on his debut, helping the Leopards to a 5-4 OT win at Severstal.
Family friend comes to Torpedo
When Torpedo head coach Igor Larionov outlined his vision of what an import should bring, he suggested Canadian superstar Nathan MacKinnon as an example. Bobby Lynch, a 25-year-old forward from Rockford in the AHL does not immediately fit that bill. However, there’s a deeper connection. From childhood, Lynch found himself on the same teams as Larionov’s son – meaning that his new head coach arguably knows him better than any other potential import. On the team, Lynch will step in for Sergei Goncharuk, who is unavailable for the first line due to injury.
Leivo to Ufa
Salavat Yulaev signed a one-year deal with Canadian forward Josh Leivo. The 30-year-old spent last season with St Louis in the NHL, picking up 16 (4+12) points in 51 games. In 2022 he was the MVP as Chicago Wolves won the AHL’s Calder Cup.
Keane returns to Spartak
It took some time to set up, but Joey Keane is back at Spartak. The American defenseman was part of a will-he, won’t-he saga throughout the summer amid talk that he was hoping for a chance in the NHL. In addition, he was attracting interest from other KHL teams after he led Spartak’s blue-liners in scoring with 24 points last season. While the Red-and-Whites added plenty of defensive depth over the summer, Keane’s attacking prowess promises to make him a valuable assistant from the likes of Nikolai Goldobin, Pavel Poryadin et al.
Dynamo wins WHL opener
Dynamo Neva won the Women’s Hockey League curtain-raiser, getting some revenge for defeat in last year’s cup final series against Agidel Ufa. The teams traded 10 goals in a lively opening game, but the decisive passage of play came in the second period. Dynamo grabbed three unanswered goals in just under two minutes: Fanuza Kadirova, Taisiya Konshina and Irina Tsatsina found the net to open a 5-2 lead.
